Biobest sets foot on British soil

For the first time, Biobest – a leading global player in pollination and biological control with HQ in Belgium – will present itself to British soft fruit growers at FRUIT FOCUS. Soft fruit production in the UK is steadily growing in volume and sophistication. High tech greenhouses extend the season for home-grown soft fruits. Major supermarket chains set high standards with regard to residue-free produce. Confident that its long-standing expertise in biological control and pollination of high-tech fruit and vegetable production will be of great value to British growers, Biobest has decided to establish Biobest UK and has attracted a biocontrol pioneer to take the helm.

“We’re proud to set foot on British soil” says Dirk Aerts, Sales manager W-Europe at Biobest. He continues: “Combined with the quality of our products, our advice and expertise is what our customers value most about Biobest. Therefore we are very pleased that one of the pioneers of biological control in the UK has agreed to work with us. Phil Walker, founder of BCP, will be the managing director of a new Biobest entity, Biobest UK.”

Consolidation and increasing sophistication are major trends in soft fruit and vegetable production in the UK, especially when it comes to greenhouse production. Phil Walker: “Larger and more technologically advanced operators require a high level of technical support. That is why this is a great time to be involved with setting up Biobest UK. The company is now putting together an experienced UK team and aims to be fully operational by September. This team will be able to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge that Biobest has gained internationally. Biobest’s ambition is to offer a complete and up to date portfolio of biological solutions. The company’s rapidly growing product range shows that we are putting that ambition into practice. A good example, which will be in the spotlight here at Fruit Focus, is the development of a trap and attractant for Drosophila suzukii, a big problem high on the fruit growers agenda.”

Dirk Aerts concludes: ”We have a long-standing collaboration with Agralan as a Biobest distributor in the UK. This collaboration will continue. Our increased presence in the UK will also mean we can provide enhanced support to Agralan. In a growing market with different segments and regions, we are confident that both Biobest UK and Agralan have room to develop and to identify customer segments that will attach value to the particular type of service each of us can provide.”